


In Any Other World: Tsubasa Side

by MemoryDragon



Series: In Any Other World [1]
Category: Magic Knight Rayearth, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Best time to play with the characters, But Mem is using the characters, Comic Book Violence, Connected to xxxHolic side, Did I mention dragons?, Gen, I probably didn't have to..., Not really a MKR crossover, Post Tokyo, Pre-Infinity, Suspense, Syaoran gets knocked out a lot, and cliff hangers, but this one has Amazons, xxxHolic side is actually better...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-08
Updated: 2008-06-08
Packaged: 2017-11-16 23:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/545137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemoryDragon/pseuds/MemoryDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Syaoran and the others enter a country only to disrupt the balance and wake a terrible monster. Can they work with the Amazons to save everyone, or will their own fragile bonds tear them apart? Set between Acid Tokyo and Infinity Arcs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Another Side

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** Um, lots of angst. And action. And cliff hangers. Not for the faint of heart, I guess. There is some cross over with xxxHolic, but nothing more than you would see in a regular arc from the manga.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.  
>  **Author's Thanks:** Much love to Neko, who stepped up and betaed when I couldn't find anyone else!  
>  **Notes:** ***Important to read*** This is the first of two fics written side by side of each other. You don't need to read both stories to enjoy this one, but if you do want to read the xxxHolic story as well, please read one chapter of this fic then the corresponding chapter of the xxxHolic fic. Kind of an annoying way to read, I know, but that's how they were meant to be read. 
> 
> **Originally Posted:** Jun. 15, 2008

~ _Another side_ ~  
  
 _In any other world,_  
 _You could tell the difference._  
 _And let it all unfurl_  
 _Into broken remnants_

Syaoran surveyed the lush jungle that surrounded them. Humidity was of one of the first things he noticed as he moved away from Sakura. The second was how big and green everything was... He helped the princess to her feet before wiping away some of the already forming sweat on his brow.

"It's certainly hot here," Fai said with a cold smile. He was taking the sudden heat and humidity the worst, though he hid most of his discomfort. His single blue eye glanced around and Syaoran looked away as it settled on the princess.

He couldn't help but feel that the mage's lost eye was his fault. Syaoran always felt a little wary towards the mage as well; as his instincts told him how long the man had been lying. Sakura trusted him, despite all that, but he still couldn't meet Fai eye to eye.

"The air is so heavy." Sakura touched one of the nearby leaves. It was much larger than her hand; one of many like it on this low hanging tree. It wasn’t long before she was shedding any unnecessary articles of clothing, though she did hesitate near her boots. The princess left the brace on her leg.

The others followed suit. Syaoran was very glad to be rid of the jacket and formal attire of the last world. He hadn't been in heat like this since, since he had his time turned back and he was imprisoned. It had been so cold and dark there, being able to feel nothing but a chilled ache in his bones. Though the heat here was almost unbearable, he was glad of it.

Kurogane also had no qualms shedding the tie and jacket. In normal times, the ninja would have probably complained about having to wear them, but now... Now everyone was too tense, too dark. The sense of companionship that had grown between all of them was too fragile to push.

Even though Mokona was covered from head to toe in fur, it was the only one in their group completely unaffected by the heat. Instead, it bounced over to some of the foliage and let out a happy exclamation. "Wow! The plants are so big here!"

"You're right, Mokona. I don't think even 'Kurogane' could wrap his arms around this tree." Syaoran flinched at the way Fai said the ninja's name. Kurogane simply looked away, used to this treatment. At one point in time, he would have yelled or taken notice of his full name. Syaoran almost wished Kurogane had, because his own presence among the travelers wouldn't have felt so painful.

The princess ignored the tension in the air and walked closer to Mokona. "Do you sense one of my feathers here, Moko-chan?"

Mokona grew serious as it concentrated, trying to capture the elusive energy given off by the feathers. In the end, it shook its head sadly. "I know there's something with lots of magic power up ahead. I can't tell if it's a feather though."

The white pork bun hopped into Syaoran's arms. He hugged the magical creature gently. It had been the first of the group to acknowledge him and he wanted to give it what comfort he could. He found himself hesitating before speaking, still not entirely part of the group. Syaoran forced the words out of his mouth, remember he had a voice again. "That's alright, Mokona. We'll just go check it out."

The words sounded strange to even his ears. Like something the other Syaoran would have said. They weren't hollow sounding, but it had been so long that he couldn't tell where that Syaoran ended and the real him started anymore.

"Some things don't change, at least," Kurogane grumbled as he rested Souhi's black scabbard on his broad shoulders. His voice cut through Syaoran's thoughts as well as Souhi could cut cleanly through it's enemies. It was an attempt at normalcy, perhaps to make up for the chance passed over earlier.

Fai moved gracefully over to Sakura's side. He took her hand and raised ti to his lips. "We shall find it, if the feather is here," he said after gently kissing her hand. Sakura simply nodded, staying cold even in the horrible heat. She started walking in the direction Mokona had motioned to earlier.

So much had changed...

Kurogane took the lead, clearing a path for the others with Souhi's blade. Syaoran followed after, clearing away any foliage that the ninja cut out of the path for the princess to walk easier. Sakura held Mokona in her arms as she walked, never meeting Syaoran's eyes when he looked back to check on her or held an extra branch out of her way. Fai pulled up the rear, much worse for the wear because of the extreme heat.

After two hours of walking, Kurogane paused in front of Syaoran for a brief moment. He continued moving before Syaoran could ask what the matter was. Besides, it was only a few seconds before he felt it too.

Syaoran moved within whispering distance of the ninja. “Do you feel that?” he asked softly , trying not to alert the threat or the princess.

Kurogane tilted his head in a small affirmative. “We’re being watched.

“What should we-”

“Wait!” Sakura called out. “Stop for a moment! Fai-san is gone!”

For a split second, Syaoran was almost relieved. He saw the worry on Kurogane’s face and immediately felt guilty about it, however. Whether it was sparked by jealousy or suspicion, it was still wrong to doubt someone who had been his... Well, the other Syaoran’s friend. So that first feather they found...

“Fai! Fai!! Where are you?!” Mokona cried out fearfully from Sakura’s arms. It knew better than anyone how close the bonds were to breaking apart, and Mokona clung to its hope. It hopped off in a random direction, still calling out Fai’s name.

“Mokona, wait!” Syaoran chased after the ball of fluff without thinking about if the others would follow. He ran after the surprisingly quick Mokona for several minutes before it finally came to a stop and started crying. With the heat and humidity as high as they were, he had to wait a moment before speaking, catching his breath as he leaned against one of the giant tree. “Mokona...”

“Mokona doesn’t want Fai to be left alone. Fai doesn’t believe he should be loved and wanted to die... But Mokona doesn’t think so. Mokona wants to like Fai...”

Syaoran kneeled down and hugged Mokona, this time more tightly. It had summed up the problem better than it knew. Fai, at least, had been there since the beginning of the journey. What right did he, the real Syaoran but not _their_ Syaoran, have to fit in?

“Oi.” Syaoran looked up to find a very annoyed Kurogane with the princess riding piggy back style. “We’re completely off our original track." Syaoran looked up, surprised. Indeed, he didn’t think he would be able to find their way back either. Now that they couldn’t back track to find the missing mage, how would they find Fai?

The princess got down from Kurogane’s back and started to walk towards Syaoran. “We need to-” was as far as she got before the trap was sprung.

A large net that had been under their feet leaped up to the trees, grouping them in a most uncomfortable tight cluster hanging several meters above the ground. At least now he knew how fish felt.

Kurogane swore as Sakura’s foot kicked his ear on accident. “Who’s damn idea was this?!” he yelled after a few more explicatives. Syaoran’s eyes simply stared at the incoming natives with spears pointed their way with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of the Chapter:
> 
> "We are imperfect reflections of the universe around us. We can not change the past, we can only learn from it, try to create a future in which such errors do not recur. Sadly, we still working on that last part."  
> -G'kar, Babylon 5


	2. The Villiage of Women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Some fluffiness between Kurogane and "Syaoran." Oh, and cliff hangers. Did I mention those? Be prepared for lots of them.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

“There’s no escape,” Syaoran said with a sigh after he surveyed the cell for what felt like the millionth time. Kurogane grunted at the assessment, not at all pleased either. Mokona and the princess were being held separately from them, which worried Syaoran to no end. He could only hope that since they hadn’t been harmed, the princess and fur ball would be alright as well.  
  
The guards out side were too numerous to fight against, even if Syaoran and Kurogane had been armed. It was like they were a huge threat to these people, even though they had just arrived. That and...  
  
“Kurogane-san?” he asked hesitantly, not sure if the older man wanted to converse. He still wasn’t technically part of the group, after all... If the ninja took any notice, he didn’t show it. Instead, he motion for Syaoran to continue. “Did you notice that there only seem to be women here?”  
  
Kurogane grunted an affirmative. “All the warriors were women. There were also no men in the village we passed through when they brought us here two days ago.”  
  
Syaoran paused again, for what he had in mind had to do with his ‘other.’ A touchy subject to say the least. But Kurogane would probably notice if he tried to omit certain parts and-  
  
“If you’re going to say something, say it.”  
  
“Eh? But...”  
  
Kurogane’s glare silenced his half formed protest. Rather than further annoy the ninja, Syaoran decided to just come out with it, as ordered. “The other Syaoran heard something like this place... A civilization called the Amazons made of only women. But that was supposed to be a myth...”  
  
He barely noticed the ninja’s mouth twitch at the mention of his ‘other,’ but it was enough. It still hurt to see it. Kurogane was getting better at hiding it, or he was already so tense with worry about their missing comrades that there weren’t many more muscles that could be tensed. It was a fifty/fifty chance either way. But when all one can do is watch, one becomes very observant. Syaoran had watched Kurogane long enough to know what to look for.  
  
“What did they do to the men?” Kurogane asked, trying to mask the discomfort in the cell.  
  
Syaoran looked away into one of the candle’s lights. Its soft light that highlighted the pain brought on by his identical face also flitted across the cave that made up the cell they were in. It was suddenly much more interesting to him that the current direction the conversation was going. “They didn’t generally respond well to men. It ended in the slaughter of one group or the other in most stories,” he heard his own voice say, feeling a little distant.  
  
This thrilled Kurogane to no end. The ninja’s mood had been sour to being with, but now his glare was out full force. Syaoran had to remind himself that the ninja wasn’t mad at _him_. “Then we make sure it’s them, not us, if it comes to that.” Syaoran pulled his attention from the shadows of the rocks to see Kurogane looking at him appraisingly. “You still have that sword that you can make appear?”  
  
Syaoran crushed that hope swiftly. “I’ve tried, but none of my magic seems to be working. It’s like something has sealed my magic off.” He looked away, once again feeling guilt. He hadn’t even noticed when it had started.  
  
Kurogane wasn’t annoyed like the younger boy thought he would be. Instead, he stared intently at Syaoran with a intense gaze. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what Kurogane was thinking. “I’m sor-”  
  
“Oi.” Kurogane cut him off before he could finish. “Don’t apologize.”  
  
“But-”  
  
Once again, the ninja’s glare silenced his protest. Syaoran looked away, slightly ashamed and confused. He could sense Kurogane was angry about something and he was the reason, but he couldn’t figure out why. He heard an exasperated sigh and movement from that corner of the cell, but still didn’t look up.  
  
Until, that is, Kurogane’s fist came straight down on Syaoran’s head.  
  
“Ow!” Syaoran’s hands flew up to his head as he yelled, looking up in surprise. It had been a good, solid whack, even if it probably wasn’t enough to do any actual damage.  
  
“That was for being stupid and still acting like you were apologizing.” Kurogane stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was well aware of Syaoran’s astonishment, but continued on in a level voice. “Don’t apologize for something that’s not your fault. It’s annoying.” He gave the kid another glance of reproach.  
  
Maybe he hadn’t learned his lessons through the other Syaoran as well as he thought. “Kurogane-san-”  
  
“Both of you, follow me.” The order was given by a beautiful woman with long blue hair and sapphire blue eyes that sparked with annoyance. She wore blue armor over a light Hellenic tunic clasped with beautiful ornaments over her shoulders. A jeweled rapier in the shape of a dragon hung at her waist, the same deep blue as the jewels of the tiara on her forehead. She held authority in her stance and voice that compelled Syaoran to obey. But he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down where he sat.  
  
He nearly jumped at the contact. The sensation of human contact was still one he was adjusting to, but it felt nice, he decided. Almost reassuring. Was this how his ‘other’ had felt in such moments? “Why should we?” Kurogane asked, his strong voice ringing defiantly throughout the cave. Syaoran shifted his position to one easier to move from, should fighting break out. He may not have his sword, but he was decent at hand to hand combat as well.  
  
The young woman’s eyes flashed with anger. She drew her sword in a motion so quick that Syaoran didn’t doubt she could skewer him before he could have even made his own sword appear. He suddenly doubted how well he could fend her off unarmed. “How _dare_ you-”  
  
“Umi-san,” a soft spoken but authoritative voice called form outside of the cell. The guards were bowing, but the first girl held her position. “Please hold your temper.”  
  
“But they are _men_ that won’t take orders!” Umi? Was that this woman’s name? Syaoran stared at the blade still pointed at him and Kurogane. It was indeed a rapier as he had guess earlier, build for speed and rapid thrusts. He had seen something like it before on his travels, but nothing so finely made as this blade.  
  
Movement came from the cave’s entrance, catching his eye. The candle light fell on a young woman dressed similarly to Umi, but in green instead of blue. A quiver of arrows and a bow were slung over her back in place of a blade, but he didn’t doubt she was just as deadly as the blue haired woman.  
  
However, the candle light made her short blond hair and emerald eyes behind a pair of wide rimmed glasses much warmer than Umi’s. “They are servants to the princess. As long as she is our guest, we should not harm them.”  
  
Syaoran and Kurogane traded glances. The ninja, though none to pleased with the prospect, gave a slight nod of agreement. “Please, what have you done with our princess?” Syaoran asked, a worried expression on his face. He pulled on his ‘other’s’ experience of spinning sincere lies. Not that he wasn’t actually worried about Sakura...  
  
The young woman with glasses hid behind a guarded smile. She didn’t seem to trust them either, though she acted nicer. “Princess Sakura is our guest and is being treated well. We’ve been discussing what to do with you, but have decided to let you continue serving her for now. She insisted that your services were imperative.”  
  
Umi shrugged, showing her opinion of that statement. But Sakura also seemed to have benefited from his ‘other’s’ lessons on fabrication... “You live only at the will of our tribe and the princess.” Umi said, sheathing her rapier. “We won’t tolerate any disrespect from _men_.”  
  
Kurogane gave a huff of is own in reply, but when Syaoran bowed deeply in response, the ninja followed suit. “If you could take us to Princess Sakura, we would be grateful, my lady,” the teenager said, not raising his eyes.  
  
“That’s why we’re here.” the blue haired woman snapped, but there was a slight hesitation in her voice. She was surprised at Syaoran’s politeness, but didn’t respond in kind. “Get up, and don’t even think of trying to escape.”  
  
“What Umi-san means is to please come this way and we shall lead you to your mistress.” Umi glared at the blond haired girl, but said nothing in reproach.  
  
Syaoran stood and the two men followed the women out of the cave. Syaoran blinked as the sunlight grew and shaded his eyes as they adjusted to the new found light. There were guards everywhere. All women, who wore various forms of the same armor that Umi and the blond girl wore. None were nearly as high quality as the two leading them, however, and all the women bowed as the small group walked by. He could only assume that it was not because of him and Kurogane. The looks that they received were openly hostile.  
  
They were surrounded by tress at first, but soon the four of them reached a large clearing willed with stone buildings. There were, so far as Syaoran could discern, no men but himself and Kurogane in this small village. But the woman seemed happy, calling out to each other as they passed by, working on the chores of the home cheerfully as one long haired girl ran by hurriedly with a piece of bread in her mouth. Two small girls played with jump ropes, even in this heat. One of them sticking her tongue out at Kurogane as they walked by. The ninja, for his part, waited until Umi wasn’t looking to scare the girls away with a glare. He was far from happy with being paraded like criminals through the village.  
  
Their high ranking guards lead them right up to the largest building with marble floors and stone pillars. Syaoran looked around in wonder. His other had seen such architecture before, but only in ruins. It was truly amazing to see the buildings in peek condition with its proper colors and-  
  
“Though I am the princess of my country, I am equal to all woman there.” Sakura’s voice rang out with cold authority. They had just entered the building and Syaoran looked around for the source, but could see no one. The marble gave way two three separate hallways of different colors. Blue, green, and red were the most dominant and their guards motioned for them to follow the rose quartz path. “This is why I do not let other women serve me. I would not demean my subjects.”  
  
“But don’t the other women want to help you?” an enthusiastic and husky voice asked as they continued down the path. The group turned into one of the door-less openings to see Sakura sitting on a pile of pillows next to a much smaller and younger girl. The girl had a red version of the command armor, with long red braided hair and fiery eyes. The sincerity in her eyes held Syaoran in the start of the room. They were striking and full of passion.  
  
Sakura was about to speak again when Kurogane strode forward. Much to the surprise of the three amazons and Syaoran, he kneeled in front of the princess and kissed her hand. “My apologies, Princess, for failing in my service to you.”  
  
Thankfully, Syaoran’s feet moved quicker than his brain did. His mind barely processed what had just happened, but he was mirroring Kurogane’s actions and repeating the words only a few seconds later. For her part, Sakura looked every bit a queen. As he took her small hand to kiss, he saw that she looked lovely in the soft rose colored Grecian dress. She was adorned with a small tiara and various bracelets sand anklets, barefoot as she used to when she played about the palace in Clow Country.  
  
It was then he heard Kurogane’s soft growl beside him. Well, that calmed his own thoughts immensely. Kurogane was still the same old Kurogane, even though he managed to control his temper a little bit more.  
  
Sakura nodded aloofly and replied simply. Her voice held a quiet regal-ness that softened her appearance. “Your absence is forgiven, though you will receive punishment later.”  
  
The red haired girl gasped and jumped up. “Please, it was our fault for detaining them! You shouldn’t punish them just for that!” Indeed, it was an odd thing for Sakura to say. Syaoran watched the one who looked so much like his own precious person carefully, unable to ascertain what she was leading to. The princess had a plan, that much was certain.  
  
“Hikaru-chan!” Umi yelled sharply. There was something about the blue haired girl that reminded him of someone... A temper that was swifter than a storm driven river. He glanced over at Kurogane’s own disgruntlement and saw the similarity. Hidden dragons swam under those rushing waters that were swift in movement and grace. He kept the thought to himself, however. Syaoran highly doubted either of the two in question would have liked the comparison.  
  
“Hikaru-san,” The girl with glasses said softly. “Wasn’t it you and Umi-san that had originally called for their deaths?” Syaoran felt a pang of worry for Fai as he drew the connections once again. Soft spoken reproach, yet comforting like a gentle wind... Just like the old Fai. There were obvious difference in temperament, but Syaoran was unsettled by some of the fundamental similarities that they shared with these three women.  
  
Umi huffed again, clearly letting everyone know her opinion hadn’t changed. The girl named Hikaru flushed however. “Yeah, I know. But this was our fault, Fuu-chan! I don’t want them to be punished just because of us!”  
  
Syaoran noticed with some small amusement that both Umi and Kurogane scolded at Hikaru’s change of heart. If they hadn’t been talking about how close he and Kurogane had been to death, Syaoran probably would have smiled. Fuu didn’t bother to refrain. Her smile was so similar to Fai’s old smiles, the kind that he gave before his ‘other’ disappeared. It almost hurt to see it.  
  
“I will keep that in mind,” Sakura said, cold as a desert’s night and just as unforgiving in her current state. Syaoran recognized the emotion well enough, however. It was the expression of one who could not forgive herself yet. He knew it far too well...  
  
“It’s their fault though!” Umi’s anger burst like an unchecked dam. She pointed at the two of them, unable to keep her temper back any longer. “These _men_ are the reason that the monster awoke! They’ve disrupted the balance of the land and brought-”  
  
“This is true,” Fuu’s soft voice cut through with enough force to silence Umi. The blue haired girl continued to scowl, however. “However, as Hikaru-san said, it is not their fault either. They did not know of the rules of this land and it was an accident that they even came here at all.”  
  
“Accident or not-”  
  
“Excuse me,” Sakura said calmly. Umi eyes flashed, but she gave a nod of her head to let the princess speak. “My servants coming into this land was what disrupted the balance and woke this monster, correct?”  
  
“It’s just like we told you before, Princess.” Hikaru affirmed. She watched Sakura curiously. Syaoran suddenly understood what the princess had in mind. Did this mean Mokona sensed the presence of a feather near by?  
  
“Then it shall be their punishment to destroy this beast. They are fully capable against such things.”  
  
There were several moments of silence before Kurogane rose to his feet. “Your will shall be done,” he said, uncharacteristically obedient. Now they were talking in his language. Action.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Umi said, laughing nervously. “The Wyvern can’t be defeated by men. Besides, not only are weapons useless against it, it seals everyone’s magic!” Kurogane stiffened at this, coming to a conclusion he didn’t like in his head. Syaoran just felt relieved. Now, at least, he knew the reason why his magic wasn’t working. Hopefully Fai-  
  
“Then they will find another way.” Sakura said. Her faith was the only thing that remained unbroken after the incident. Belief that didn’t waver in the face of her unknown wish.  
  
“Are you-” Fuu began to say, but was cut off quickly as screaming was heard from outside of the walls. Syaoran jumped as an inhuman scream could be heard above all the others. It sent a chill down his spine. “The monster?”  
  
“No,” Umi said, shaking her head worriedly. “That’s not how the wyvern sounds.” She had her sword drawn, ready for action. Kurogane cursed as his hand fell to the empty space at his hip where Souhi should have been.  
  
Hikaru followed Umi’s example, drawing a very large broad sword from its sheath. She motioned for the princess to stay put. Fuu stepped to the side, allowing a female guard to enter the room. “Hikaru-sama! There is a demon outside that none of us can capture. It’s wounded several warriors already.”  
  
“A demon?” Hikaru asked, taking charge. Syaoran was surprised to find that Umi and Fuu let the youngest take charge. Or perhaps Hikaru wasn’t as young as she appeared? “What does it look like and how does it attack?”  
  
“It looks human, Ma'am. Male.” The woman glanced his direction suspiciously, but continued on. “He has one golden eye and pale blond hair. His hands are as long as claws and his teeth are-“  
  
Kurogane dashed past everyone. Even Umi only had a brief chance to yell at him as he ran past. Syaoran’s heart began to race as he also got to his feet. But Hikaru stopped him before he could follow with hand on his arm. “You know this demon?”  
  
“He’s not-”  
  
“He has sanctuary under my protection,” Sakura said, still calmly sipping her tea. “He is like that now because he tried to protect something that was precious to me. My servants can calm his wild nature.”  
  
“But they have no weapons!” Which wasn’t exactly their fault, but Syaoran didn’t point that out to Umi. She looked pissed as it was.  
Hikaru looked from Umi’s glaring eyes to Syaoran’s desperate expression uncertainly. “Are you sure that you can do it?”  
  
Truthfully, Syaoran didn’t know if he could do anything against a blood lusting vampire without his sword or magic. He still had his kicks, but against Fai they would be useless. “Yes,” he said, regardless, just wanting to be out of here. They heard another howl and a shiver went down his spine a second time.  
  
“Then let’s go.” Hikaru let go of his arm and moved aside, allowing Syaoran to pass. His feet moved before he could think, passing through the building and outside as fast as he could.  
  
The sunlight and heat hit him full force, but Syaoran’s attention was on the small circle of women just outside the building. The rest of the village looked to be in chaos. Half the women surrounding the ‘demon’ were already bleeding while others were trying to get the children and non-warriors away from the fighting. In the center of all the madness was Fai. He stood with a wild look in his single eye, blood dripping from his mouth as he looked around for the drink that would really satisfy the hunger he felt.  
  
Kurogane stood opposite of the mage, silently taking in the whole situation. Syaoran ran over, closely followed by Umi and Hikaru. “Kid,” he said softly, “find something hard to knock that stupid mage out with if he tries to drink to much.”  
  
“But Kurogane-san-” Syaoran gulped down the rest of his protest after the glare he received. Instead, he nodded uncertainly.  
  
Kurogane’s attention turned back to the mage who was just about to bite another woman. “Oi,” he said loudly. Fai spun around at the sound of the ninja’s voice, woman still struggling in his arms. “She’s not the one you want. Or don’t you remember the last ten girls you bit?”  
  
Fai’s eyes narrowed, hunting instincts guiding his eyes to Kurogane’s uncovered neck. He let go of the woman who quickly scrambled out of the way. Hikaru motioned for the guards preparing to attack to stand down.  
  
Kurogane settled into a fighting stance as Fai slowly stood up. “Come and get me, you bastard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memory: For those of you that aren't avid Clamp readers, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all come from Magic Knight Rayearth. As the story progresses, there will be other MKR characters added to the mix, so be sure to watch out for them! And yes... I know I've made Umi into a bit of a bitch. I'm sorry, Umi fans. She is my favourite character too, if that helps? And she does have her moments later on.
> 
> By the way... I realized as I was typing how harsh the word 'clone' sounds. For some reason, I couldn't imagine the real Syaoran actually using the word clone when referring to the previous Syaoran. His 'other' sounds sort of awkward, but I think it makes sense. Hopefully, at least.
> 
> Quote of the Chapter:
> 
> "I can wholeheartedly apologize for not being at all sorry. And it really is the least I can do."  
> -April Winchell


	3. The Wyvern's Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Lots of action in this chapter. And be prepared for a fun cliff hanger.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

“Wake up, Fai!” Mokona cried from Syaoran’s shoulder. But Fai only snarled in response, blood lust driving away his sanity and leaving only the need to survive.

Before Syaoran could follow Kurogane’s instructions, Fai had already moved in on the ninja. His canine teeth were completely extended and he was headed right to the ninja’s neck, which Kurogane had been holding bare.

A split second before Fai reached him, the ninja dropped to the ground, his leg swinging in a circle under Fai’s feet. But the vampire jumped back before he could be tripped, eyeing his prey wearily. “Oi,” Kurogane called out, sparing a quick glace to where the three women stood. “Your sword.”

“These swords won’t let anyone but us use them!” Umi snapped as Kurogane was forced to dodge another blow. He retreated a few paces back.

“Just hold it out!” he yelled back, trying to regain his balance after Fai had knocked him aside. Syaoran watched helplessly, unable to figure out Kurogane’s plan. The ninja side stepped another of Fai’s lunges, barely avoiding the vampire’s long and piecing nails.

Umi steadfastly refused, anger flowing around her like water rushing past a rock. But Hikaru drew the sword at her side with amazing ease. She held the large, ornate blade in front of her in a fighting stance.

Kurogane kept dodging and retreating towards Hikaru’s blade, sweat pouring down his face and soaking into his dark clothes. Thankfully, Fai was all instinct by this point and could be out-thought. Syaoran didn’t want to think what would happen if Fai betrayed them willingly.

Hikaru stepped forward, meeting the two fighters locked in battle with her blade thrust into Kurogane’s range. With a strike that would have rivaled one of Syaoran’s own, the ninja kicked Fai back a few feet. Fai howled, more enraged than in pain, but it bought Kurogane enough time to carefully, but quickly, slit his wrist open on Hikaru’s waiting sword.

Fai paused, growling softly. He could smell the fresh blood dripping from the ninja’s wrist. Some of the real Fai started showing in the mage’s single eye as just the sight of Kurogane’s blood calmed him.

Kurogane didn’t waste the moment. He crossed the distance between himself and the vampire and put his bleeding wrist up to Fai’s mouth.

There were a few gasps among the crowd. Syaoran watched carefully in case Fai should drink too much, but Kurogane’s blood had a calming affect on Fai’s chaotic state. He doubted Fai would take more than absolutely necessary now.

Fuu came up beside him, watching the exchange expressionlessly. “Has this happened before?” she asked quietly, careful not to disturb the two of them.

Syaoran started to shake his head, but remembered he could actually voice his thoughts now. “No, it hasn’t,” he answered politely, never taking his eyes off Fai and Kurogane in case something went wrong. “But then, Fai’s condition is new to us, and this is the first time we’ve been separated for this long.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the quiet girl nod for him to continue. Syaoran wasn’t sure he wanted to give out much information about Fai, especially since it was a topic he didn’t know where he stood. But Fuu was obviously expecting more of an explanation and she had the right to know what their people would be housing. “Fai was gravely wounded-” by his ‘other.’ He continued on, hurriedly. “Protecting the princess. Because of that, she pardoned his curse and gave him sanctuary.”

If the blond amazon noticed his hesitation, she didn’t show it. Umi stood wearily to the left, her hand on the rapier’s hilt. “The danger is contained then?” She asked harshly. Hikaru joined her, sheathing the sword she had just cleaned.

Fai was pulling back from Kurogane after healing the ninja’s wrist. Sanity, guilt and a hint of pain mixed together in his sole eye. It slowly changed from gold to its normal blue. Syaoran let out the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding and turned his full attention to the amazon women.

But it was Sakura that answered the question. Syaoran hadn’t even noticed when she had come down to watch the fight. “The danger is over. I am sorry for the disturbance this has caused.”

Hikaru smiled wearily at Sakura as one of the female guards came up to speak to her. After a few moments of briefing, she turned back to the group. “No one was hurt, really. The bite marks are already healing and the blood just looked worse than it actually was.”

Umi glared at the two approaching males who were talking quietly to each other. Syaoran did think she looked a little relieved at the news though. Kurogane, on the other hand, looked away disdainfully. Under the facade of arrogance, Syaoran saw a small amount of pain. Whatever they had been talking about, Kurogane seemed to have lost the argument.

Fai bowed deeply to the three women and took the princess’ hand. He kneeled before her, kissing her hand as Kurogane stood behind him grumpily. “Forgive me, my princess. My absence was inexcusable and my return was... hardly worthy of you. The heat has taken more than its fair toll on me.”

The new Sakura was cold and determined. But Syaoran had long practice of watching the princess and he could see something akin to pity and caring in her eyes. Watching had, after all, been the only thing he could do for so many years... Sakura nodded to the mage, motioning him to stand.

Now he turned to face the three women again and smiled politely. Any trace of emotion had completely left Fai’s body, covered by the polite mask. “I am dreadfully sorry for the disturbance my... ‘condition’ has caused. If there is anything I can do to atone, please let me know.”

“Nothing was badly damaged and no one was really hurt,” Hikaru interjected quickly. No one but himself and Sakura saw the minute changes in Fai’s body as he relaxed after hearing that news. Syaoran hadn’t realized how tense the mage had been up to that point.

“But you have caused the women of this country great distress.” Sakura took command of the situation easily, showing her royal nature. It was something so foreign to the old Sakura. The new Sakura took full advantage of the distance her station gave her. “For that, you will help ‘Syaoran’ and Kurogane destroy the monster that rages across these lands.”

“Yes, my lady,” Fai bowed to her again, looking properly chastised. Syaoran was struck by hearing his own name without the honorific. Did she... No. It was part of her persona as their liege lord, he realized. She had left off Kurogane’s honorific as well.

“Then let us adjourn to the guest houses to tell you what we know of the monster,” Fuu said, gesturing back the way they had come.

* * *

Syaoran felt very awkward. It wasn’t so much that he was the current member of their party to be the monster bait for the plan they had worked out. He didn’t mind that all too much. What he did mind was Fuu’s overly literal reasoning. When Umi had sarcastically mentioned they should stick a sign around his neck saying “Free Food!” Fuu had thought she meant that literally. Syaoran was never the sort to complain overly much. Umi’s evil glace his way only sent him into further gloom.

So here he was, in the middle of a grassy clearing surrounded by the large trees of the jungle. He was sweating profusely, thanks to there being no shade and had a big sign that said “Free Food!” wrapped around his neck. Umi had been particularly delighted to put it on him...

He wiped some of the sweat out of his eyes as he scanned the sky for the giant lizard. From Hikaru’s description of the beast, it sounded like one of the mythical creatures back home. A western dragon, as his father would have described it. Instead of breathing fire, however, it was master of the wind.

Speaking of wind, it was something that would be awfully nice to have around right now. Or some shade. But he had to be out where the monster would be able to see him when it returned to the village to hunt. While he wasn’t prone to complaining, he also wasn’t used to this kind of sweltering heat either. The desert had been a dry heat and he had vague memories of a blistering sort of summer with his parents, but after so many years locked away, sealed by Fei Wong Reed his body no longer had a tolerance for this kind of heat.

He sat silently, shifting uncomfortably as he knew Kurogane was watching form the trees near by. Fai was off a fair distance, in the caves they had picked out to spring the trap. It had only really been ten minutes since he had replaced Kurogane, taking his second shift as bait. The heat was nearly unbearable already, however. There was still no sign of the monster.

He scanned the sky again, but didn’t see the Wyvern until it was nearly on top of him. Syaoran rolled to the left, barely missing the lizards tail as it struck the ground he had been sitting on. It sent dirt and rocks flying at either side, and he had to shield himself from the ricochet.

Seeing the monster up close, Syaoran was once again reminded of the dragon. It’s grey scales were rock solid, according to Fuu. No normal weapon could harm it... Not even the weapons made from a special ore known only to this country that the three amazons carried. He estimated its long, lithe body was about 50 meters in all. The wind from it’s wings beat him back, but Syaoran didn’t shield himself. Those eyes...

Syaoran froze, fixated by the dragon’s eyes. They weren't just one color, but every color he could imagine plus a few that he hadn’t even dreamed of. The colors swirled together, like a whirlwind, gleaming brightly as they faded in and out of existence. The worst of it was hearing the monster’s mind through those colors, screaming at him to sit there and die, like good prey.

It brought up a finely sharpened claw in order to strike Syaoran down right where he stood. He couldn’t move, no matter how much he willed his body. The colors wouldn’t let him... didn’t want him to... He didn’t want to...

Kurogane was suddenly in front of him, Souhi drawn and countering the Wyvern’s large claws. “Oi, kid! Run!” He yelled, after being pushed down to one knee under the crushing weight of the dragon’s attack.

Syaoran felt released from the Wyvern’s mind, but he was too weak too move. Slowly, he fell to his own knees, hands catching him before he fell to the ground completely. His breathing became the only thing he could hear, each breath falling heavily from his lips. Someone was yelling, but he couldn’t make it out over the noise of his own body and a voiceless scream. He looked up again, the ever watchful eye glaring down at him, searching his soul this time instead of drawing him into the monster.

No, he wasn’t fixated. That eye was binding. Syaoran could no more move from that spot than he could when he was held captive by Fei Wong Reed. He could feel the seal again, invisibly blazing up on his skin. Once again, helpless to fight back, barely able to keep conscious...

Kurogane sprinted to the side and the wyvern put off balance by the sudden lack of resistance. As the dragon’s bulk tipped forward, the ninja grabbed Syaoran by the waste and hoisted him over his shoulder. Kurogane took off towards the caverns at a break neck pace, swiftly navigating the dense foliage of the jungle floor like it didn’t even exist to begin with.

Syaoran felt his breath come back in a rush. Had he been holding it? His body which had been so tense before relaxed, taking comfort in the strength of Kurogane’s shoulders. What had that thing done to him?

Kurogane came to a sudden halt as the wyvern’s tail came crashing down through the tree tops, scoring the ground in front of them. Syaoran had to hold on to the ninja’s shoulder to keep from being launched into the tail. It made him realize just how tense Kurogane’s muscles were. He felt guilty for being a dead weight and worrying the ninja like he had.

Kurogane was back on course in an instant, heading straight for the caverns again. He had one hand on Syaoran’s back to keep the kid from falling off, a gesture Syaoran couldn’t help but take comfort from. The ninja’s words from earlier came back clearly. ‘ _Don’t apologize for something that’s not your fault._ ’

The wyvern’s tail came down with crushing force several more times, bringing Syaoran’s attention back to the battlefield. The dragon’s accuracy was deadly, but Kurogane dodged aside at the last second each time with non-pulsed grace. They kept on like this for about fifteen minutes before they finally reached the caverns. The ninja darted into the darkness as the wyvern shrieked in rage. Syaoran could feel the monster’s echo in his mind, even after the monster fell silent.

He felt himself being picked up again, this time to be put back on the ground and steadied. “Thank you,” he said, catching the apology before he could utter it. The ninja grunted in reply, already watching the cave’s entrance. This wasn’t over yet.

It waited outside, not chasing them into the caverns. If it left from boredom, their plan would be a complete failure. Syaoran stepped out of the shadows, drawing the borrowed broad sword from his waist. It was well made, though didn’t feel quite as right in his hands as his father’s sword did.

He raised the blade in a fighting stance that was very foreign to his ‘other’s’ style and challenged the beast silently. He made sure to not look in the creature’s eyes this time. Instead, Syaoran kept his gaze on the tightly knit scales on the dragon’s neck.

It struck at him with its head and kept baring down on the sword which he had brought up to block. The wyvern’s tail aimed to strike while Syaoran was occupied, but Kurogane moved in and swiftly intercepted its path. The monster pulled back, clenching Syaoran’s blade in its teeth. The next thing he knew was a pain in his back as he steadied himself against the wall he had been thrown against.

Getting to his feet again, Syaoran retreated a few steps. He winced as his shoulders screamed in pain, but said nothing. Kurogane fell back to his side, only sparing a quick glance to make sure the boy wasn’t too badly hurt. The wyvern launched forward into the caverns, chasing them into the darkness.

The light dimmed, most of the dragon’s bulk blocking it. Syaoran pulled from the learning of his ‘other,’ closing his eyes and feeling the monster’s movements. The beast struck and he blocked it with ease.

Syaoran became lost in the fight, his body moving on its own accord to keep him alive. Even the pain from injuries he received faded in the heat of battle. He and Kurogane kept retreating further into the cave, slowly positioning the monster so that it was completely in the caverns. After what felt like an eternity, he heard a soft whistle that manage to sound over the monster’s shrieks.

The monster’s claw came down on his position. Instead of blocking, however, Syaoran rolled to the side and continued to run past the wyvern’s flank. He could sense the ninja doing the same. The dragon let out another piercing scream that rang through his skull as it tried to turn around and fight its prey. But its large bulk kept it immobile and was suddenly much slower than the two runners. The dragon’s tail still lashed out at them as they ran by, but they both dodged it easily.

Kurogane gave the all clear whistle as both of them continued running towards the light. Behind them, the landslide started. This time, Syaoran didn’t hear the dragon’s screams with his ears. But the echo was still there, the terrible shriek. His hands flew up to his ears as he kept running, trying to shield them from the non-existent sound.

Fai raced out from his hiding place in the caverns, only a few steps behind them. Once they were out of the caving in caverns, the three of them stopped, breathing heavily under the green tree tops.

“Is it dead?” Kurogane asked, eying the rubble suspiciously. The ninja’s breathing was still rough, but calming. Syaoran found that his own lungs were protesting painfully with every breath he took. What worried him was Fai, however. Even though he had done the least work out of all of them, the mage was the last of the three to catch his breath in the heavy heat.

“I’m... fine,” Fai said, brushing away the concerned glace Syaoran gave him. The boy sighed, unable to help if the mage wouldn’t let him. Kurogane’s gaze transferred to Fai, but met with the same refusal. Again, whatever pain the ninja felt was left under a mask of cold arrogance. The three of them never felt farther apart, even though he was right next to his two traveling companions.

Finally the mage righted himself and gazed calmly at the rubble. “I can’t tell if it’s still alive. We’ve got it trapped at least. And since it’s a wind monster, it should be very weak under those stones.”

Syaoran felt an uneasiness when ever he looked towards the cavern, unable to relax completely. Fuu had agreed that this was probably the best chance they had to kill the monster when she had heard their plan. But still, something wasn’t right.

He heard the scream in his mind before he saw the rocks move. This time it was so loud in his head that Syaoran crumpled to the ground, dropping his sword. He knew suddenly, though he couldn’t say quite how, that the earth was far from weak point. Wind had only been the wyvern’s secondary strength.

“Oi!” A pair of hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him gently, but the screaming didn’t stop. “Kid, what’s wrong?” Even Fai was alarmed, forgetting his isolationism. The mage was just about to walk over when Syaoran felt movement from under the earth.

He barely had time to push Kurogane away before he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder and blacked out. The screams in his mind followed into his dreams...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of the Chapter:
> 
> "The defects and faults in the mind are like wounds in the body. After all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind."  
> -Francois de La Rochefoucauld


	4. The Unaging Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Introduction of a character many people might hate... But I've always liked Ascot.  <3 Oh, and make sure you don't fall off that cliff hanger. It's fairly steep.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

“What are you doing here?” Syaoran winced as Kurogane’s gruff voice cut through his slowly waking mind. While he had been sleeping, the pain had been non-existent. Now, however,he ached all over and had a horrendous headache. “Oi!”

Syaoran couldn’t bring himself to answer. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was on a bed. He hadn’t a clue of how he had gotten there, but the fact remained. Given that fact, Kurogane more than likely wasn’t talking to him. Syaoran was supposed to still be sleeping (in relative painless bliss). His first instinct was still to assume that Kurogane was mad at him, so he attempted to open his eyes.

He started slowly, as the light only made his headache worse. “H-hikaru-sama asked me to s-see if there were any changes,” a light childish voice said uncertainly. So Kurogane had been talking to someone else. But then was something odd about the voice that wasn’t right... The speaker was obviously a child but... Syaoran groaned softly, unable to finish his own thoughts without the pain getting the better of him.

His groaning attracted Kurogane’s sharp attention. “Oi, kid. You awake now?”

“Yes,” Syaoran replied after a brief pause. He had been trying to decide if nodding or vocalizing the confirmation would be less painful. His own voice was a shock to his ears, hoarse and dry sounding.

Syaoran felt a pair of strong, calloused hands gently grip his shoulders, helping him sit up. The light touch startled him, but his body was too tired to react. Syaoran found it a little easier to keep his eyes open in this new position.

Kurogane kept one hand on his back. It was comforting, having that hand there. Syaoran felt like he was back in his water prison and it took him a few moments to re-orient himself. But Kurogane’s hand on his back was a constant reassurance that he could feel again, and that Kurogane didn’t mind being near him. Even if he wasn’t the one who had traveled along side everyone.

With his free hand, the ninja passed a cup with some sort of liquid inside it to Syaoran. “Drink,” he ordered, but in a softer tone than he had used to speak to the child from earlier. “Those witches said it will make you feel better.”

“They aren’t witches!” Syaoran’s arm ached as he brought the cup up to his lips and started drinking. That was when his eyes focused enough that he got a clear glance at the child in the door way. Oh. That’s what was off.

The child speaking was a boy.

He looked a little less than ten years old, with shaggy auburn hair that nearly covered his emerald eyes. His clothes were a size too big for him and he wore a big, floppy hat on his head. Around his neck was a small chain with a decorative clasp in the center that Syaoran could feel magic radiating from.

Kurogane chose to ignore the boy. Probably a good thing, because Syaoran could see the shortness of the ninja’s temper in his crimson eyes.

Once again, Syaoran couldn’t help but feel some of that anger was aimed at him, despite the remaining hand on his back. “Go tell the others that he woke up,” Kurogane ordered with a voice that booked no arguments. The child ran off, frightened by the ninja’s gruff manor.

“Who was that? I thought...”

The ninja grunted, finally letting Syaoran sit without his steady hand. He fidgeted in the high back chair, clearly uncomfortable in the seat that was next to the bed. “Kids younger than ten are allowed to stay in this country with their mothers.” Syaoran almost wished Fai was there. Kurogane’s explanations always seemed to fall just short of what he wanted to know.

Kurogane’s gaze settled on him and it was Syaoran’s turn to shift uncomfortably. He took another drink from the cup, already feeling a little better from what he had already finished off. The ninja waited for Syaoran to drink more of the medicine before speaking. “You knew the monster was coming when it came out of the ground. Not even I could sense it when it was part of the rock.”

He hesitated, but not because Syaoran had forgotten his voice. Trying to find the right words to describe the event was difficult. “I’m... not sure. I think it tried connecting to me, telepathically the first time it attacked. When it did, the connection was never severed. I heard it scream in my head before it came out of the ground.”

Kurogane raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. Syaoran focused on finishing the last of the drink he had been given. The headache was receding, which he was grateful for. The rest of his body was being obstinate, however, aching on regardless.

Never wavering, Kurogane continued to stare at Syaoran. He could tell the ninja was waiting for something else. Maybe it was some thing his ‘other’ would have said? This time, Syaoran couldn’t quite tell what he had done wrong.

Thankfully, the Amazons and their entourage chose that moment to burst in. Fai and the princess were not far behind them. The ninja finally looked away, more than a little disgruntled about being interrupted.

It was Mokona who spoke up first, jumping from Sakura’s shoulder to give Syaoran a small hug. “‘Syaoran!’ Everyone was worried when you got hurt! Are you alright now?” it asked, with such a large amount of concern for a being so small. Syaoran handed the cup back to the ninja before he returned the hug, petting the white pork bun reassuringly. Though sometimes he wondered who was reassuring whom when Mokona was concerned.

“You’re awake now!” Hikaru said, taking his free hand in hers. “I heard you can predict the Wyvern’s movements! How did you-”

He was most surprised by the movement, as was Kurogane who nearly fell out of the chair trying to avoid a red dart that flew straight at Syaoran.

“Hikaru-san,” Fuu said, her voice full of reproach. She hid her eyes behind her glasses, but Syaoran could see a light smile on her lips that was indulgent of her fellow amazon.

Hikaru jumped, letting go of his hand with a slight blush. “Er, sorry. Guess I got a little excited. You’re feeling better?”

Nodding, Syaoran saw for the first time the pattern on the metal clasps of Hikaru’s armor up close. It was a wolf with a fiery mane like a lion, with a single curved horn on its forehead. He felt a shiver of recognition, for this was the same beast that protected his ‘other’ in the Hanshin Republic. “A little better,” he managed to say after a few seconds of staring. The shook his head softly, trying to get rid of the mental cobwebs while not aggravating his headache.

He took a good look at the room, which was suddenly much smaller with all the people in it. He was in the only bed, while Kurogane looked out the window at the setting sun from his high back chair. There was a small brown table near by, just under the window that Fai stood next to. The mage was talking quietly with the princess. Fuu and Umi were on the other side of the room, with the strange child poking his head out from behind Umi out of curiosity. Several other women he didn’t recognize were in the room, flanking the Amazons like guards. The room itself was painted a calming blue color, that reminded him of the sea. It must be a guest room in Umi’s wing of the main building.

The location was puzzling, as Syaoran couldn’t figure out why Umi would have even wanted a male in her wing. There was another question eating at him however, which he asked even though he could feel the answer in his mind. “The Wyvern isn’t dead, is it?”

Umi’s sarcastic laugh confirmed it. “You guys barely even scratched it! I told you we should never have let men do a woman’s job. They can’t-”

“And neither could you.” Sakura added coolly, much to everyone’s surprise. “It seems neither gender could effectively hurt it.”

Umi spun on her heels and looked ready to tear Sakura apart. He didn’t think, just reacted. Syaoran was on his feet and in front of the princess, even though the pain and dizziness nearly brought him back down again. His expression held no hint of his weakness, but gazed calmly at the blue haired girl.

The amazon took a step back, surprised. It was Fuu that broke the tension, however, placing a hand on Umi’s shoulder. “Umi-san, Princess Sakura is quite correct in her assessment. Do not fault her for it.”

The strained moment over, Syaoran felt his body give a shiver before completely giving out. Fai caught him before he fell, pushing Syaoran back to the bed. He went without resistance. His head was spinning too much and his vision was tunneling. He could hear Hikaru laughing nervously as Fai checked his forehead for fever. Such cold hands...

“Why don’t we leave for now and let ‘Syaoran-kun’ rest?” Fai said, turning to the group.

“But I wanted to ask-“

“He needs time to heal, Hikaru-san,” Fuu rebuked mildly. The last thing he heard was a soft grunt from Kurogane as Hikaru agreed finally. Once everyone had left the room, except the solitary ninja, Syaoran let his consciousness slip back into oblivion.

* * *

Sunlight peered down through the tree’s shade like little drops of slow but constantly moving light. Syaoran moved with them, carefully stretching his muscles that were pained. He was glad of the shade’s indirect sunlight. It was enough to stave off the worst of the heat so that he could go through his morning exercises. He was already sweating by the time he was through with his warm up.

He kept seeing glimpses of the child with long bangs from behind the trees, but Syaoran didn’t let on he knew. The difference was striking to him, causing him to pause while he held the practice sword borrowed from the amazon’s armory. Instead of watching from the shadows, he was the one being watched. It was a very strange feeling.

The problem was a simple one, really. When one knows that one has an audience, the need to show off flashier techniques arises. But he was still wounded... Another glimpse of emerald eyes peeking out from the trees made him reconsider. Syaoran ignored the screaming pain in his shoulder and started going through one of his most difficult routines. The sword flashed as it caught small rays of the sun’s light and moved through the air with elegance.

He was gratified to hear applause after he finished with the sword’s blade balanced lightly on his finger, panting at the effort. It almost made the pain in his shoulder worth it. But when he turned around to see the applause giver, Syaoran was surprised to see Hikaru, not the child.

“That was great! And your shoulder didn’t hurt you at all when you went through the routine?” She clasped her hand together in a motion of happiness after passing him a towel.

Syaoran blushed softly. It wasn’t the sort of blush that his Sakura brought on, but the sort that came when a good friend gave an honest compliment. He accepted the towel and started to wipe away some of the sweat, wincing as if to answer her question as his shoulder screamed in protest. “It does hurt,” he admitted, taking a seat next to her on a near by tree root. “But we can’t wait much longer to go after the monster again. It’s been attacking the people of the village, hasn’t it?”

Hikaru nodded, eyes clouding over. “Yeah. Two people have been killed, and four were wounded pretty badly in the last attack.” They sat in a quiet silence for a few moments, each to their own thoughts in the comforting shade. Hikaru was half a head shorter than him and looked even younger. He had learned through the talk of the woman that she was the same age as the other amazons, making her a few years older than him.

She was not one to stay quiet for any length of time, however. Something caught her eye and Hikaru snapped to attention, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. Then she relaxed, and watched the trees with a puzzled expression on her face. “What’s Ascot doing out here?”

“Ascot? You mean that boy over there?”

“Yeah. He’s generally with Umi-chan, because she’s his favorite.” Hikaru must have seen the look of shock on his face, because she quickly added, “Umi-chan isn’t normally like how you’ve seen her. She just doesn’t like being unable to do anything. She was the one that tended your wounds since Fuu-chan’s healing magic doesn’t work anymore. She felt bad that you got hurt because she couldn’t beat the Wyvern herself.”

Letting that fact sit in, Syaoran felt a little embarrassed. No one had told him that Umi was the one to tend him. He hadn’t properly thanked the amazon. Now it made more sense why he had been moved to her wing of the main building. No wonder Kurogane had been a little more tolerant of the blue haired woman these past several days that he had been kept in bed.

It was easier for Syaoran to talk to these women, he found. Easier than talking to his own traveling companions. The ones he had watched silently for so long and then was unable to help as his ‘other’ betrayed them... Something still stopped him from feeling at ease with the others. But with Hikaru, he could finally ask the question he couldn’t ask Kurogane. “Ascot is a child of the village or... ?”

“Ascot was an orphan that was we found on the outskirts of the village when he was four. The three of us raised him since then!” Her face lit up in such a way that Syaoran thought of his own mother. Though, knowing what he did of these three women, it made him wonder how the child survived to live as long as he had... “He likes Umi a lot though. I think that’s why he searched so long for that medallion.”

“Medallion? Is that-”

A loud crash sent both Syaoran and Hikaru to their feet. The scream in his mind told him what was going on immediately. Their eyes met for an instant in agreement before they both took off running towards the center of the commotion. They were forced to dodge small animals which were running the opposite direction, away from the attack. They weren’t like anything Syaoran had ever seen before. Small horses and fox like creatures that mewed, along with any number of small fuzzy animals. All of them looked like fantastical stuffed animals.

He wasn’t given much time to observe the natural wild life, because they reached the small clearing where chaos had descended. It was here the women came to wash their clothes by the river. This morning there were only half a dozen women there, but they were all frantically trying to get away from the Wyvern’s attacks.

The dragon swooped down to pick off at the frightened women. Syaoran didn’t think, automatically placing himself between the Wyvern and its latest target. His sword, though it was meant for practice, was still sturdy as he blocked the monster’s sharpened teeth. Regular swords wouldn’t cut anyway, so the solid, but blunt practice sword would work just as well.

His shoulder screamed like the Wyvern in his mind as he re-enforced the blade with his free hand. Syaoran could feel his muscles buckling, but he couldn’t move from his position. The dragon’s head, which was almost as large as Syaoran himself, bore down on him.

“Hurry! Get back to the village!” Hikaru yelled out to the other women, her sword drawn as she attacked the side of the wyvern’s head. She had been aiming for the eyes, but it quickly closed its heavy lid and her attack deflected off uselessly.

Once the women behind him had moved, Syaoran rolled to the side and joined Hikaru. “As long as it stays above ground, we can feel its attacks.”

“Alright!” Hikaru fell on the beast again, this time attacking the creature’s front legs. Fighting with Hikaru was different than having Kurogane by his side. She was much more reckless and passionate, but they fought well together. When he slipped up, Hikaru had his back. When she did something too reckless, Syaoran kept the wyvern from doing any harm to the shorter girl. They fought like that for ten minutes under the sun, as the pain in his shoulder became a dull reminder of his previous injuries.

“We need to pull it away from the village!” Hikaru yelled. He nodded, taking a few seconds to wipe away the sweat that had gotten into his eyes. Nearly cost him his other limb, but Hikaru blocked the tail from hitting him. Their eyes met for a brief second as he conveyed his thanks. Then they both took off running, only pausing long enough to make sure the wyvern was following.

The wyvern was angry and did as they hoped. He was beginning to wonder how they were going to be able to lose the monster when he heard it shriek in his mind. The sudden pain caused Syaoran to trip as he clutched his head. “Syaoran, you okay?”

The Wyvern had disappeared.

“Quickly,” he gasped for breath. “Get up... one of the trees!” Syaoran was already heading for one, even though the scream in his head took his breath away. Hikaru followed, helping him climb after sending him a questioning glance.

They had no sooner gotten off the ground when Syaoran felt his mind explode with a screeching sound. At least, that was what it felt like. He was prepared for it this time, however, and the tail that came out of the ground to attack him struck at air.

A light of understanding came to Hikaru’s eyes. “So that’s what you meant by staying above ground.” She whispered, more to herself than to Syaoran. They didn’t know if the creature could hear sounds in its current state, but it was best not to chance it.

Syaoran was lost from reality as the wyvern attacked his mentality. Time slipped from his consciousness; he only managed to count the seconds between the curdling screams. It was a mind numbing experience which shook him to the core.

“Syaoran!” Hikaru grabbed hold of him to keep him from falling off the branch. “We need to get you out of here!” But the wyvern’s tail struck close to their location. Hikaru quickly stopped her mouth, instead pulling Syaoran closer. Her muscled arms surrounded his shoulders as he leaned into her, unable to keep his own balance any longer. He was unable to do anything now, nothing but feel the pain of the mind link and clench his teeth together. His nails dug into his palm and drew blood, but the pain was nothing compared to that tremendous power in his head.

Finally, the wyvern uttered one last furious scream. It was worse than any of the others with the most power behind it. Syaoran nearly cried out in pain, but remained voiceless. As if its last attempt had failed, the wyvern’s presence in his mind disappeared without a second glance. “It’s gone,” he murmured, relaxing into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of the Chapter:
> 
> "Leave it to a girl to take the fun out of sex discrimination."  
> -Calvin and Hobbes


	5. Neverland's Medallion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** I guess I'm sort of bastardizing Fai here... Really, I do love him. He's just a little touchy during this time period... ^_^;;; Don't hate me for it? There's also a fair bit of Mokona fluff. Don't say I didn't warn you...  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

  
“That was a stupid thing to do!” Umi yelled at both Syaoran and Hikaru, who both stood with their heads bowed humbly. “You’re too reckless!” she continued, point to Hikaru. Her finger then moved to Syaoran. “And you’re still wounded! You’ve probably just made the wound worse now!”

Once Syaoran had regained consciousness, they had returned to find the village in chaos. Umi had been the first to spot the returning pair and took them both aside to tend their wounds. Of course, she lectured them like children the whole time she did this, occasionally prodding a wound to make her point.

Kurogane and Ascot both passed by at one point, leaving the two of them to their misery. The ninja had answered Syaoran’s silent pleadings with a stern glare before walking off. Ascot, on the other hand, stayed around to snicker at the two of them behind Umi’s back. Finally, after dressing both of their wounds, Umi left them with one final warning. They were to stay put or else, and Ascot was going to watch over them to make sure they didn’t try anything.

Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief along with Hikaru as Umi left the room with just as much energy as she started. “Is she-”

“Always like that?” Hikaru finished for him, laughing and nodding. “Umi-chan was just mad that we took it on by ourselves. I think everyone was worried.”

“You bet they were! Ascot chimed in, sitting across from them. “Umi-sama and that ninja were just about to head a search party for the two of you! I think the only one who wasn’t frantic was that ice princess of yours.”

“Ascot!” Hikaru chided. Syaoran managed a weak smile. It was true that Sakura had locked herself away from all of the others, especially himself. It was painful to watch, even though she wasn’t his Sakura. They were both too similar for him to not care about her.

Perhaps it was because he was reminded of his predicament, but Syaoran had to force himself to speak next. It was hard, having a voice now. In some ways, just watching had been easier. “You were raised here, Ascot?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah. Umi-sama found me when I was four. Hikaru-sama and Fuu-sama have helped look after me too.” Hikaru beamed down at the child, and Syaoran once again wondered what sort of upbringing this child must have had.

“Where will you go once you become too old to stay?” He asked, curious. What was the age that Kurogane had said? Ten years old, then they had to leave this country. Ascot couldn’t have too much longer here. Hikaru tired to motion to tell him not to ask, but it was too late. The question was spoken.

Ascot’s fists balled together and he stood up quickly. “I’m not growing up! I don’t want to leave!” He yelled. Hikaru held her hands up and made some soothing sounds, but the child was not easily calmed. “That’s why I found this medallion!” Ascot pulled the golden chain around his neck and thrust the medallion at Syaoran, as proof of his triumph.

Syaoran studied the medallion’s intricate pattern. It reminded him of one of Sakura’s feathers. After a moment of surprise, he looked up at Ascot in excitement. “May I?” he asked. Ascot nodded, confused. He carefully turned the medallion over and found writing on the back. He could barely make out the words. He recognized some of the writing from the studies of his ‘other,’ however.“Do you know what it says?”

Hikaru shook her head. “We’ve all tried to read it, but no one can make it out. All we know is that it’s connected to the legend of eternal youth. It’s worked the past several years, anyway. Ascot hasn’t grown any older.”

Again, Syaoran was surprised. He glanced at the child, finding Ascot positively beaming about it. “I found it! Umi yelled at me for looking for it, since I got hurt. The cave was really spooky too, but I found it!”

Syaoran went back to the back of the medallion, studying the words to see if he could make any of them out. “Sealed away... Forever youthful... Those that take...”

“Eh? You can read it?” Hikaru asked, excited about the possibility.

Syaoran nodded, slightly embarrassed. “Sort of. I’ve seen writing like this before. The words are so faded though that it’s really hard to make out. I can only get fragments.”

“That’s so cool!” Hikaru said, jumping up in enthusiasm. It just made the red spread on his cheeks. “Where did you learn to read it?”

Ascot was the one who saved him from having to come up with an answer. The child urged him to read the rest. “What else does it say? There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yes,” he said politely, peering at the words again. “Sealed terror... I can’t make the next word out. Broken... Price for immortality.” Syaoran shook his head, wishing the words weren’t so faded. “That’s all I can make out.”

“A price?” Fai asked, leaning in the doorway. Syaoran jumped, not having sensed the magician’s presence, too caught up in the discovery to notice. He met the single blue eye for a moment before turning away. “Doesn’t that sound familiar? Hikaru-sama, when did Ascot-kun get this medallion?”

“A couple years ago... You don’t think-” she stopped short, looking at Ascot with a worried expression on her face. “The wyvern came about the time you guys did! There’s no connection!”

Fai’s cold smile was unforgiving. “That is a magical instrument, used to strengthen seals. Without it, the seal would stay strong for a while. But slowly, over time, it would eventually become weaker and weaker, until even the slightest unbalance in the land would cause the seal to be broken.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Ascot yelled. “It isn’t my fault! You’re the ones that came here and woke it up!” He ran from the room, rushing past Fai before anyone could react.

“Ascot!” Hikaru stood up, distressed. “I’m going after him,” she said quickly, bowing to the others politely before rushing out after the child.

Fai stayed, regarding Syaoran. Under that cold gaze, the teenager shifted uncomfortably. He still felt responsible for that eye. “You seemed very natural, talking with them like that,” the mage said quietly. Syaoran looked up again, though he was still unable to say anything to that one-eyed stare. “Yet the moment I or one of the others come in, you become a ghost again. Why is that?”

The cold, polite smile wasn’t accusing him, but Syaoran could see the pointed cruelty behind the remarks. It was the same with his comments to Ascot. The old Fai would never have said that within the child’s hearing. It was like the mage was lashing out at everyone now, just so he wouldn’t be able to get close to them again.

“I...” he said, the words freezing on his tongue. Syaoran had to force himself to answer, feeling unnerved by how easily his vocal cords froze. “They don’t... know the other me.”

The mage’s smile flickered, so quickly Syaoran almost didn’t see it. It was some emotion that he didn’t recognize, though it looked dark. “I see,” was all Fai said. Syaoran tried speaking again, but couldn’t. The comfort the old Fai would have given was no longer forth coming. Syaoran realized that was almost as painful as the lies the mage told.

* * *

The next couple of days were quiet ones, allowing for everyone’s wounds to heal. Syaoran continued his daily warm-ups, sometimes with Hikaru joining him for a friendly sparring match.

Being around the others, however, still wasn’t easy. Since they were ‘servants’ to the princess, they also had to actively serve her. Syaoran most often got stuck on fan duty, waving a giant feathered fan to cool Sakura off. Fai took the job of a manservant, always staying close to the princess whom he viewed as his salvation.

Kurogane served as a guard and watch dog, which suited him just fine. Syaoran had the feeling the old Fai would have found another job for the ninja, but now... Now the mage avoided Kurogane as much as possible.

Being around Sakura was the hardest part for him. Especially when, like at the current moment, they were alone.

Syaoran continued to fan the princess as she sipped her tea. He noticed all the same problems she must have when looking at his face. Sakura had the same eyes, the same voice, the same gentle spirit, despite how she acted towards him now. But they were both fundamentally different in the same way.

She watched him carefully, like the moon peering through the clouds. They did not speak, however. He could not speak to her of the things he knew, and she would not open her mind up to him. It was a stale mate locked in heartbreaking silence and neither new how to break the cycle.

Mokona bounced in happily, breaking the soundless battle. “Sakura! Syaoran! Did you know? The people here say I look just like the creator of this world!”

It bounced up to Sakura who smiled at it. No matter which Sakura it was, Sakura’s smiles had the power to warm up the soul or break the heart. All her smiles had been of the latter lately. “The creator of this world looked like Moko-chan?” she asked as Mokona jumped up into her arms.

“Yup! Yuuko said she made us as replicas of a being that was super powerful!” Syaoran found himself smiling as Mokona did a spin in Sakura’s arms. It continued on animatedly. “Do you think that the being that created this world could be the same one that Yuuko met? Kurogane looked scary when I told him! Do you know what he said? ‘Ah? How can a white pork bun create a world!?’ Kuro-chan is so mean!”

Syaoran couldn’t help it. Mokona’s imitation of the dark ninja’s voice was so ridiculous that he started to laugh softly. Even Sakura’s smile became warmer, more like past times. The sound of his own laugh shocked Syaoran to the core. He hadn’t laughed since... But it felt so good that he didn’t stop.

“See? See?” Mokona said, bouncing from Sakura’s arms to Syaoran’s shoulder. “‘Syaoran’ can relax with us too! You’re still part of our group, right?”

The princess looked away quickly, but Syaoran was taken aback by the sudden admission. Had Mokona come in just for that purpose? “Thank you, Mokona,” he said, hugging it with a heart-felt smile. Even if the princess was acting cold again, it had been enough for that moment.

“I still say we should eat the marshmallow with springs to make sure,” Umi said with a wicked gleam in her eye from her place in the door way. Mokona hid behind Syaoran, crying about how cruel Umi was. The blue haired woman came into the room, nodding to Syaoran and bowing in respect to the princess. “Princess, would you lend us your servants for a strategy meeting? And perhaps your pet for snacks?”

“How mean! Syaoran! Don’t let them eat me!” Syaoran smiled gently and pet Mokona with his free hand.

Sakura nodded her assent, but not a dismissal for Syaoran. “Have you come up with a plan then?”

Umi looked angry, but held her temper in check. “There is no plan. Fuu-chan has asked that the _men_ join us to add to our discussion.” Hikaru had been right, Syaoran realized. The true source of her distemper was not that they were male, but that she herself was unable to do anything. He smiled reassuringly at Umi, though she simply huffed and looked away.

“Why not ask Yuuko! Yuuko could grant your wish!” Bouncing back from it’s hiding place, Mokona took the floor. “Yuuko could help!”

“Yuuko?”

“The Dimensional Witch,” Sakura explained. “Yuuko-san will grant any wish for a price. She could give you a means to destroy the beast.”

Umi took all of that in, uncharacteristically thinking things through. The fact that Yuuko had been stated as a female probably helped things drastically. “How do we contact this Dimensional Witch?”

“Mokona can call her!” it pronounced proudly, bouncing happily in place.

Umi grinned, her humor returning. “I suppose that means we have to hold off on eating it.”

“Sakura! Don’t let them eat Mokona!” it cried, rushing back to the princess’ arms.

The blue haired woman smirked once more before turning to leave. “I’ll gather the others,” she called back over her shoulder. “We shall wait at your leisure.”

* * *

Once everyone had gather in the council room, the jewel on Mokona’s forehead lit up. Syaoran saw Ascot in the corner of his eye, trying to look in on tiptoe.

Yuuko appeared on the wall. She wore a low cut red kimono and her hair was piled on her head with two brilliant red butterfly clips. “Oh, ho. Having some trouble?” she said with a sly smile on her face.

Hikaru stepped forward, bowing in respect. “Yuuko-san, I am Hikaru of the Amazon’s country. We currently have a monster on our hands that we cannot defeat.”

“Oh?” Yuuko raised her eyebrow in a way that Syaoran had to wonder. Did she already know of all the details? “The balance of your land has been disrupted by the entrance of several men and a broken seal.”

Syaoran acted quickly, moving towards Kurogane’s side in case the ninja should say anything to blow their cover. Fai had gotten there first, however. The magician some how managed to refocus Kurogane’s anger on himself, though Syaoran hadn’t seen how. Yuuko’s eyes danced as she saw the scene but did not comment.

Fuu took up speaking for the group. “Princess Sakura says that you grant wishes for a price. What would the price be to kill the monster and realign the balance?”

Yuuko grew solemn, but Syaoran wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he tried looking around her, to see if a certain boy with oval glasses was behind her. He saw no one, however. Syaoran could only hope that person was doing alright and believe that he was trying his hardest.

“This is not one wish, but two. The latter of them is very expensive as well, not one that any one of you could afford. The payment would have to be spread out among your women, since they will be saved by this act as well.”

Fuu nodded, but said nothing. She waited for the price. “For the matter of the Wyvern, the person who originally disrupted the balance must pay.”

Fai smiled, his one eye holding a cold indifference. “What is the price we have to pay then?” he asked, motioning to Syaoran, Kurogane and himself.

There was something almost sad about her smile when she answered Fai, as if she had been expecting him to ask. “You are not the ones I meant. Your part will only be to help fight the monster, since you three were the ones to finally tip the scale.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw Ascot freeze in place. “To kill the wyvern and make it possible to restore the balance, first the one who weakened the seal must give up the seal’s source of power.”

“The source of the seal’s power?” Hikaru asked, looking crestfallen. “You mean the medallion that-”

“I’m not giving it up!” Ascot yelled before running from the room. The amazons traded glances as Kurogane grumbled. Sakura continued to gaze calmly at Yuuko, as if she had something else she wanted to ask the older woman.

“Do you mind if we call you back?” Fuu asked, a worried expression on her face. Yuuko bowed her head in ascent before flickering out of the link. Mokona’s jewel flickered once before turning back to normal.

Kurogane sighed, shifting Souhi’s weight to his back. “Let’s find the brat and get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of the chapter.
> 
> "The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."  
> -Mark Twain


	6. The Price of a Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** A very grumpy Kurogane. I'm not sure why, but the part with Moko-chan is one of my favorites. Oh, and Syaoran gets a bit angsty towards the end... The cliff hanger actually isn't too bad this time around. Not nearly as extreme as the next one, at least. XD  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

“The treasure is mine!” A boyish voice called out just before a long string of curses by Kurogane could be heard. Syaoran turned the corner of one of the intricately designed Amazon buildings to find Ascot gone and the ninja sitting on the ground, nursing his foot.

Syaoran felt his mouth try and slip into a smile, but he doubted the ninja would have appreciated that. Instead he kneeled down next to the still cursing Kurogane. “Are you alright, Kurogane-san?”

“How much did you see?” he glared as he asked, taking Syaoran by surprise. Kurogane looked quite angry and this time Syaoran was certain that most of the hostility was being directed at him. He was at a loss for words and looked away.

The ninja sighed once he realized his mistake, anger deflating. Syaoran still didn’t look back up. With more annoyance than usual, Kurogane tried again. “Oi, kid. Don’t-”

“Mokona saw everything!” Mokona said, bouncing from out of no where and landing right on Kurogane’s head. “Kurogane picked Ascot up by the shirt and Ascot went KA-POW! into Kurogane’s stomach and WHAM! onto Kurogane’s foot!” Each sound effect was followed by a dramatic reenactment of the gesture by Mokona. “And then, and then, as Ascot got away, he turned back and-”

Kurogane plucked the white ball of fur off his head and glared down as it made a very silly face up at him. “The blue woman is right. Eating you might be a good idea.”

Struggling out of Kurogane’s grasp, the white pork bun bounced away. “Kurogane looks scary! But he can’t stand up to a little kid!”

“Get back here you-” more expletives. Many more expletives. The ninja chased after the small fur ball as the illusive creature bounced further out of his reach.

Syaoran felt a little foolish, assuming that the anger had been directed at him. Kurogane’s pride was what had suffered the worst blow. Though, if the ninja had known how close he had been to laughing, things might have gone differently.

Instead of following Kurogane and Mokona, he took the path towards the jungle’s edge where the river flowed. While he hadn’t seen which way Ascot had taken, this path seemed most likely. Less crowed and more places to hide in the ocean of trees.

His deductions proved true as he found Ascot by a small stream. The child heard his approach and had his fists raised, ready to go out fighting. Syaoran held up his hands to symbolize truce. “I won’t try to take you or the medallion back, I promise.”

Ascot put his hands down, but not his guard. “I’m not giving it back. I found the treasure, so it’s mine!”

Keeping his hands in place, Syaoran carefully sat down in the shade of a near by tree. He didn’t know what to say to the child. Perhaps the direct approach? “That medallion was the power source-”

Wrong move. “I didn’t do it! I didn’t wake it up! It’s your fault, not mine!”

“No one is saying it’s your fault,” he said gently, back tracking. He motioned for Ascot to take a seat next to him in the shade. The boy complied, but wearily. “Why don’t you want to grow up, Ascot-kun?”

Ascot clutched the medallion to his chest and hid his eyes under his bangs. “I... don’t want to leave here. Hikaru-sama, Fuu-sama, and Umi-sama are my only family and...”

“And?”

“A-and I really l-like Umi-sama,” he said quietly in a voice just above a whisper. Syaoran had to strain to hear the admission, but smiled softly when he made sense of it.

A lot of things added up now. “The village of men isn’t too far from here though, right? Fuu-san said the women could visit once a month for trade and-”

“But Umi-sama never goes!” Syaoran decided it would probably be useless to convince the child she probably would go if she knew Ascot wanted to see her. Such sentiments weren’t going to bring the boy around.

They sat in silence for a bit while he considered his options again. Direct approach had failed miserably. Indirect was the obvious next choice. “Do you know about the price of wishes?” he asked, easing into the subject.

“You mean what the witch said about my medallion?”

Syaoran shook his head, even though that was part of it. “No, just about the price of wishes in general. If it’s hard work, time, or... something you give up, every wish has a price, though sometimes you don’t even realize it.” Without thinking, his hand went up to his returned eye, causing him to falter in his explanation.

Ascot didn’t look up. A near by flower that he nudged with his shoe captivated the child’s attention far more than the actual conversation he was trying to avoid. “I just wanted...”

“To stop time?” Syaoran asked softly, bringing in the true core of the wish. “To stay young forever? Such a wish would have a high cost, would it not?”

Ascot’s head was bowed and Syaoran couldn’t tell if the boy was still going through denial or letting it sink in. He tried again, hesitating even though these were feelings he knew well. “Being apart from those you love for so long is really lonely. Sometimes you just have to keep wishing to see them again so that you can move on.”

“Are you... away from the people you love?” Ascot asked, just as hesitantly.

Syaoran answered with a smile. He tried to make the smile one that was heart felt, but it ended up being a very painful sort of smile. The figures of a blue-eyed boy with glasses and a young princess flashed across his vision, along with his parents. “Yes. Me, Fai-san, Kurogane-san and the Princess are all away from those we are the closest to. Even Mokona... We’re all very far from home. But if we don’t continue forward, the hope of seeing our most precious people would be gone.”

“But why? Why not just stay with them in the first place?

“Because it’s inevitable,” he said gently, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the tree. “Several people have already been killed by the Wyvern, right? And, if it were allowed to continue, Umi-san will have to fight the Wyvern too. Without a way to harm the best, she could be hurt or killed. Do you want that?”

Ascot stood up, his fists balled up at his sides. “I don’t want that! Above all, I don’t want Umi-sama to die!” Syaoran opened his eyes to find that Ascot’s green ones were peeked out from behind his bangs, adorned with tear drops. “But... I don’t know what to do...”

“Then move forward,” Syaoran said, sitting back up. This time his smile was warmer, though still sad. “See what the next year holds, not just staying forever trapped in time.”

“Ah,” Ascot sniffled a few times, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Are... are the others mad at me for running off?”

The thought of Kurogane cursing the kid into the next century came to mind, but Syaoran decided it was safe to omit that. “They aren’t mad, just worried. They know you wouldn’t have woken up the Wyvern on purpose.” He stood up and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Let’s go back together, alright?”

Ascot nodded, fingering the medallion. After one more deep breath, the boy took his first step moving towards the future.

* * *

Umi and Fuu rushed over once they saw the child walking up with Syaoran at his side. “Ascot! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Umi said as she kneeled and brushed away some of the hair in his eyes. Syaoran saw how red the kid had turned, even if Umi didn’t notice. “You don’t have to give up the treasure. We can find another way if-”

Ascot shook his head slowly, making her trail off. “The Dimensional Witch is the only way we’ll get through this without anyone else getting hurt, right? I don’t want... I don’t want someone to get hurt because of me.”

Umi looked back at Fuu who nodded her ascent. “Let’s call the Dimensional Witch back then,” the blue haired woman said with her hands on Ascot’s shoulders as she pushed him towards the council chambers. Syaoran thought she looked very proud of the child. “Fuu-chan, Syaoran-kun, would you gather the others please?”

“Yes, Umi-sama,” Syaoran said with a small bow as Fuu voiced her own agreement.

It took the two of them a little while to find everyone but once they were all gathered, Mokona called Yuuko. Once again, Syaoran looked for the boy with wire-rimmed glasses, but the other teenager was no where in sight.

The witch of dimensions smiled as she saw the assembly. She wore the same outfit as last time, even though it had already been nearly two days. Syaoran could only assume that time moved quicker in this dimension. “Good evening, everyone. Do you have the payment?”

Ascot stepped forward, looking very nervous. “I have it,” he said, fingering the medallion one last time. “This is... this is the thing you want, right?”

Yuuko nodded, the light shading her eyes so they couldn’t be seen. “Are you sure you want to give that up? The Wyvern wouldn’t be able to harm the wearer. You could be immortal forever, with only the cost of a few lives.”

Everyone was shocked at the words, except Mokona who was saddened by them. Before anyone could move, however, Ascot shook his head fiercely. “Not if it meant living without Umi-sama and the others! I won’t do it!”

Yuuko’s eyes were unshaded as she smiled gently. Had it been a test? Or... a need for denial of a wish to be granted? “You have changed since the last time I was called. Very well, give the medallion to Mokona and start fulfilling your other wish.”

“Other wish?” Umi asked? Fuu and Hikaru laughed quietly as Ascot turned red.

“I-it’s nothing!” he stammered as he yanked the chain over his head and held it out for Mokona to take.

Mokona’s mouth got very large as it sucked in the medallion in one quick “Paku!” The amazons were surprised at Mokona’s strange talents, but the others had gotten used to it by now. “Puu!” it cried, as it’s mouth opened again and it spit out an arrow.

Fuu caught the arrow, carefully examining it. “Normal weapons do not work on the Wyvern. So this arrow is...”

“That arrow is special.” Yuuko took a sip from her sake cup before continuing. “It’s made from the hardened blood of a hag’s spirit and fashioned by a boy with a pure soul that exorcises such beings. If you were to pierce through the dragon, say through an eye, the arrow’s magical nature would poison the monster. Its death will be swift.”

Fai whistled, a painful reminder of the mage’s past and current lies. “That would take pretty good aim. I don’t know if I could hit it in one shot.”

“I can shoot the arrow,” Fuu said softly. Fai smiled politely and nodded to her experience. “There is no better archer in the land than me.”

“Oh? Pretty confident.” The ninja raised an eyebrow. It was neither in contempt or surprise, but a purely questioning gesture.

The blond amazon turned to face Kurogane with a gentle but serious smile. “Without belief in oneself, I wouldn’t stand a chance of hitting the target. If so, you could call this confidence.”

“Fuu-chan is right! Just you wait, we’ll get rid of this Wyvern once and for all!” Hikaru had a vision of passionate flames behind her as Umi held her head in her hands off to the side. The blue haired girl sighed and shook her head, unable to keep up with Hikaru’s energy.

“Then let us discuss the second wish, of returning the balance to the land.” Everyone grew silent at this, turning their attention back to the Witch of Dimensions. “If the balance isn’t corrected, another monster will just take this one’s place.”

“What do we have to do to correct the balance then?” Umi asked, her hand going to the intricate dragon on the hilt of her sword subconsciously. “We can’t stay away from the men entirely or we would die out as a people. What else is needed?”

Yuuko’s head swayed gently side to side. “Staying away from men won’t bring the balance back. Once the balance was tipped, the only way to resolve it is to mix with them. Men must be allowed to come to your village _and_ be treated as equals.”

“What?!”

“Impossible!”

“This is the only way?” the voice of reason asked over Hikaru’s and Umi’s voices. Syaoran was surprised. Fuu looked almost... happy at this arrangement? Yuuko confirmed the price and the blond woman retreated behind her glasses with a crafty smile. “We will have to accept these terms then.”

Umi raised an eyebrow in Fuu’s direction, which made the gentle blond turn red. Syaoran wondered if there was something to this unspoken conversation that he missed. Kurogane also seemed vaguely intrigued by the silence, though he tried to hide his curiosity. “I suppose it can’t be helped,” Umi said with a resigned sigh. After the initial shock wore off, even Umi couldn’t disagree with it.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Hikaru was quick to come around after the initial shock wore off. Even quicker still, was her ability to find the cloud’s silver lining. “Isn’t that great, Ascot! You can stay with us now, no matter how old you get!” Hikaru hugged the young boy happily from behind as he also took turns blushing.

“Oi, Witch. Why didn’t you tell us that before the brat-” Kurogane stiffened as Fai’s smile grew a fraction larger. This time, Syaoran had just barely caught the mage’s retreating foot slide back into place from a delivered kick. Kurogane glared murderously at Fai, but stayed silent.

“O-ho-ho,” Yuuko laughed, her hand flying up to her mouth in attempted modesty. According to most of Yuuko’s outfits however, modesty was never something she worried about. “Then I wouldn’t have gotten to hear about how a certain ninja got beaten up by a small child.”

“Why you-”

“Thank you, Yuuko-san!” Syaoran said with a quickly as the mage delivered another kick to Kurogane’s shins. The witch smiled back mischievously before the image flickered out.

“Are you guys really Princess Sakura’s servants?” Umi asked suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the now very irate Kurogane. Silence filled the room.

Finally, Sakura, who hadn’t said a word since they had gathered, spoke. “That is correct. These are my traveling companions, not servants.” Traveling companions, not friends. It hurt having so much distance between them now. “You would not have accepted us otherwise, correct?”

“That is quite correct,” Fuu said softly, as the everyone stood facing each other, neither side willing to back down. Ascot was in the center of it all, unable to chose which side he should be on.

“Yuuko-san said the price of the balance had to be working with men as equals,” Fai pointed out, ending the stalemate with a pointed remark and hurtful smile. “Which means you should start with us.”

It was Hikaru who finally stood up and nodded. “You’re right. We need to keep up our own end of the bargain. For now, I think we all need some rest and time to think things through.”

Everyone agreed to that plan of action and started filling out of the room.

* * *

Sleep didn’t find Syaoran so easily that night. Too many things were bothering him. The way how he could talk so easily to the Amazons and the way how Kurogane and Fai still avoided each other plagued his thoughts. Especially the way how this Sakura closed herself up, even though it was completely uncharacteristic of her.

Rolling out of bed, Syaoran walked over to the window, pressing his fingers against the glass. He traced the outline of the moon with his fingers. The moon that gave power to so many friends he used to know... Memories he hadn’t thought of in a while surfaced as he realized sleep would be evading him for a while.

“Why didn’t it work?” he asked the moon softly, feel like that one question could unlock his soul. Syaoran’s hand rubbed his returned eye in frustration. Though he knew the answer, he still wanted to hear it. His heart still cried out for it. “Why?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Quotes of the Chapter this time. The first I think it fits with the dragon quite well... The second one is a little more serious, lol. Only a little bit more though.
> 
> "Just once, I wish we would encounter an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."  
> -Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Doctor Who
> 
> "Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon."  
> -Susan Ertz, _Anger in the Sky_


	7. Resolve and Hitsuzen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Lots of action in this chapter. It's all rising to the climax, where things begin to fall. :wink: Actually, I had fun with the mostly vertical fight scene. It was a challenge. Oh, there's also a major cliff hanger. Don't say I didn't warn you...  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.  
>  **Author's Thanks:** Thanks and congratulations to TheOptimisticPessimist for beta'ing this fic and defeating the void for me. The fic just got ten times better for your comments, so I'm glad I waited.

_I tried to live alone but lonely is so lonely alone._   
_So human as I am, I had to give up my defenses._   
  
  


“Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night either?” Hikaru asked him the next morning as Syaoran covered a yawn. Syaoran nodded sheepishly, shading his eyes from the sun as he looked back at the attack party. Hikaru smiled widely bounced around, making Syaoran wonder how much of her words were true. “I never sleep well when I know a big fight is coming up. Just thinking about it pushes my energy up too much!”

He smiled in response, even if that particular reason wasn’t the cause of his insomnia. Umi scowled from her spot in the shade. “Hikaru-chan, you’re awfully energetic for someone who didn’t get any sleep.”

“That’s cause we gotta protect everyone! That Wyvern won’t hurt anybody else!”

Umi muttered something Syaoran could barely make out. He caught the words “youth,” “energy” and “impossible” and decided she must be saying something about Hikaru.

Kurogane grunted from his spot under the tree. It was decided that the four of them were to act as bait this time, while Fuu and Fai acted as archers. Not happy that Syaoran was coming along, the ninja ignored most of the conversation.

It had only been a word from Sakura that Syaoran convinced the others to let him come. They had all been against it because of the Wyvern’s affect on him. However, Syaoran was the only one who could predict its attacks when it went below ground. That was an advantage they couldn’t pass up. And Sakura, with her stone-cold emerald eyes, told the others that Syaoran would be needed in this fight. No one asked how she knew, but he felt a little warmer knowing she believed he would come back.

Umi leaned against the same tree that the ninja sat under, though she made sure there was a decent amount of distance between them. A silent truce may have been called, but more than tolerate each other they would not.

Syaoran liked to think he was finally adjusting to the heat and humidity of this country. The heat of the Clow Country had been dry, but he could vaguely recall a few summers from his original home that were almost as humid.

It helped that he was sitting half way in the shade on a large root. Kurogane and Umi had agreed that he shouldn’t be directly in the sun. It was Hikaru that took up any number of positions, depending on where her energy burst took her. Currently, she was out in the grassy meadow, falling back on the grass happily. “Isn’t it great though? Once we defeat the monster, Ascot can stay! And Fuu will get to see Fer-”

“Hikaru-chan!” The small red head sat up, blushing as she apologized for saying something she shouldn’t have. Syaoran reflected that this ‘Fer’ person was more than likely the cause of the unexplained emotion he had seen on Fuu’s face when the cost had been named. Was that person-

Syaoran felt his body tense. He looked around, trying to find the reason. “Syaoran-kun, is something wrong?” Hikaru asked. Kurogane watched him from the shade, nonplussed. But he did move Souhi calmly to a more accessible position.

The teenager shook his head, unable to shake the feeling as well. “I’m not sure,” Syaoran said, trying to force his muscles to relax. “I just felt-”

A scream pierced through his brain as he heard the clash of metal. Kurogane was on his feet, defending against the Wyvern’s tail that had attacked from the ground. Umi was like a streak of blue lighting behind him, actively attacking as Kurogane blocked.

The red haired girl was joining into the fray seconds later. Syaoran was a little slower. The scream still echoed through his mind painfully. Almost before he had time to block, another scream and a sharp claw attacked, aiming at him.

Syaoran blocked it, though the force of the blow knocked him back as he staggered to his feet. Just barely... Another scream, this time from behind him. He’d never be able to twist in time-

Kurogane was there, holding off the creature’s head with Souhi. The ninja strained his arms and pushed the wyvern away. “Fall back!” he shouted to Syaoran, already engaged with the next lizard body part.

Umi appeared at his side, helping Syaoran to his feet. “Should have expected it to attack from the ground first,” she muttered under her breath. He stumbled as another scream rang through his head. The blue haired woman steadied him, putting his arm around her slim shoulders. Hikaru covered as they made their retreat.

The wyvern followed after them ruthlessly, however. It ignored Hikaru and Kurogane and kept trying to hit the two trying to escape. “It’s after Syaoran-kun!” he thought he heard Hikaru yell, but it was so hard to hear anything over that constant scream.

Before he could even comprehend what had happened, Syaoran found himself on Kurogane’s shoulder again. All three of the attackers took off running towards the rendezvous point, trying to avoid the deadly attacks aimed at them from the ground.

Ignoring the head ache that was pounding at his skull, Syaoran looked behind them since he didn’t have to watch where they were going. “It’s in the air,” his voice sounded ragged and uneven. Syaoran forced himself to take a few deep breaths to calm his heart. “Still following after us.”

Kurogane nodded, ducking under a low branch. They were almost to the cliffs again, where Fuu and Fai would be waiting with the arrow. The wyvern dived down through the trees, forcing them to scatter. Syaoran could hear the beast’s fury, most of which was directed at him...

At him? What had Syaoran done to incur its wrath? Come to think of it, the most recent attacks had happened when he was near. But he couldn’t figure out why it-

A picture of him that first fight in the meadow flashed through his mind. The wyvern linked its mind to his, so that it could have an easy kill. Kurogane taking away its prey and it was unable to break the link. It wanted the link cut! It was-

“Oi! Kid!” Kurogane’s voice reoriented Syaoran and he found that they had just made it to the cliffs. Fai started his rain of arrows on the wyvern to distract it from Fuu’s aim. Syaoran hadn’t even felt the difference of the cavern’s cool shade when they passed through it.

He slipped down from Kurogane’s shoulder, trying to get a better view of those higher up. “This won’t work,” he said softly.

“What do you mean, it won’t work?!” Umi asked. “Why didn’t you say so before, then?”

Syaoran ignored her. He put his hands to the rocky cliff and started climbing. But a steel grip on his arm stopped him from going any further. He looked over at Kurogane’s fierce gaze as the giant lizard shrieked its fury out loud, diving at the top of the cliffs. “It’s linked to me. I have to get up there and tell them.”

Anger filled Kurogane’s eyes. Syaoran had to force himself not to flinch away as the ninja’s grip on his wrist tightened painfully. He gazed back at Kurogane, unapologetic and unwavering. This was his resolve.

The ninja looked away first, his eyes moving to the fight above. “Be careful,” was all he said, growling softly as he let go of Syaoran’s wrist.

The teenager nodded as he started to climb again. It was hard going, especially with the wyvern swooping constantly overhead. When it saw him on the cliff side, the dragon went berserk. It immediately moved in for an attack.

Syaoran got to a small ledge just in time to be able to block an on coming blow with the sheath of his sword. To his great surprise, a man with long green hair and amber eyes slid down the side of the cliff towards him. Pushing off the beast with a mental scream of his own, Syaoran got a better look at the new man.

“You picked a hell of a time to go rock climbing, kid,” the man said, holding his very large crescent sword in front of him. From the x shaped scar on the man’s cheek and the stance he took, Syaoran concluded this person was well accustomed to fighting. He fended off one of the wyvern’s attacks with ease.

“What’s taking so long with Fuu-san and Fai-san?” Syaoran asked, dodging to the left as the dragon’s tail slashed at him.

“Fuu can’t get a clear shot.” Lack of honorific by the green haired man noted. Claw coming straight at him, also noted and blocked. Idea forming.

“Cover for me!” he asked hurriedly. The man acknowledged the request with a nod. If he was on friendly terms with one of the Amazons, Syaoran decided he must be trust worthy. The green haired man stepped in front and blocked the next onslaught of claws.

Clearing his mind of all thoughts and closing his eyes, Syaoran tried to pin point the dragon’s mind. It wasn’t a hard thing. The wyvern’s mind was a very large and frightening mass of emotions.

Anger pulsed the strongest of all. Anger at being sealed away. Anger at being woken up after so long. Anger at the foolish humans for stealing it’s eggs for some mating ceremony... Syaoran was so caught up with the rage of the beast that he nearly forgot his purpose. A marriage ceremony? Was that what caused the separation of women and men in this land?

Sensing interference, the wyvern reared back, aiming to go below ground. It woke him up mentally as he prepared his own attack against the monster.

Syaoran ‘pushed’ with his mind as hard as he could. He was glad to find the connection was two way. The dragon cried in pain this time, rising higher as it forgot its original plan in rage. The Wyvern’s eyes grew large as it prepared to throw itself at the small ledge to revenge its pain.

Fuu fired her arrow. It ran clear and true, straight for the monster’s left eye. But the monster closed its eyes a brief second before and it bounced harmlessly off as the dragon struck at the small ledge.

Hitsuzen. It was as Sakura said. Syaoran had a role to play in this fight that only he could do.

He and the green haired man both dove to opposite sides to avoid the monster’s jaw as it broke into the rocks behind them. Using the sliding move Syaoran had seen the man use earlier, he chased after the falling arrow.

He caught the arrow just before it hit the ground. Syaoran was thrown off balance as he barely avoided another attack from the Wyvern. It screeched, diving below ground and nearly making Syaoran drop the arrow in pain. But he held on to it and started running as fast as he could.

“‘Syaoran-kun’,” he heard to his right. He nearly stumbled over an unearthed root as he turned to see the vampire mage with his bow strapped to his back. Fai’s long legs easily caught up with him as they continued to run through the forest. Apparently, Fai was getting used to the heat too.

“I need to... get to its eye,” he said in between breaths, running closer to Fai in order to avoid a branch in his way. Fai’s golden eye conveyed agreement. They had only been running a few seconds more when a scream erupted in his mind.

The pain caused him to fall. There was no way to resist or prepare against the blinding pain of the screams. Slender hands pulled him out of the way as the wyvern’s tail just before it could hit him. Using his vampire strength, Fai was able to pick up Syaoran and toss him onto the back of the quickly emerging dragon. Fai quickly became a small dot among the trees, but not before Syaoran saw the hint of the mage’s old reassuring smile.

Syaoran held on to the place where the dragon’s wings met its back as tightly as he could, the arrow held between his teeth to free up both hands. Branches and trees battered against his body as the wyvern attempted to throw him off. Just as he was sure he wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer, the wyvern moved above the trees to try a new tactic. It started a straight upward ascension into the sun.

Though his arms ached from numerous scratches and bruises, Syaoran started to pull himself up the dragon’s elongated neck with painful care. Already, the air was getting colder and harder to breath. The wyvern’s neck was strong and guarded by sharp scales. His arms became bloody as he continued to climb.

It was the longest five meters he had ever had to crawl, with the wind constantly pushing him back down. Syaoran nearly slipped and dropped the arrow as he gasped for breath. But he held on, just barely reaching the dragon’s head.

Gathering his energy, he ‘pushed’ again with his mind. As he had hoped, the dragon’s eyes widened again and it stopped its beeline to the sun. it screamed as they both hung there in mid air. Syaoran grabbed the arrow from his mouth and stabbed the Wyvern in the eye.

The pain from the mental scream forced his tight grip on the dragon’s neck to loosen. But instead of falling, Syaoran watched in amazement as the Wyvern disintegrated into sparkling bits of dust. They were suspended in time and place.

The light grew so bright that he had to look away. When he could look back, he saw not a dragon but one of Sakura’s feathers glowing in front of him softly.

Floating towards it, Syaoran reached out until he could grab it. “A feather?” Was that what had caused the balance of this world to be so delicate that the women and men had to live separately? With the feather and the wyvern's hatred for the marriage ceremony that took its eggs, the monster must have tipped the balance of the land.

The feather’s glow dimmed and suddenly the air beneath his feet was no longer solid. Syaoran was falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of the Chapter:
> 
> "The future has yet to be determined."  
> -Clamp


	8. Epilogue: In Any Other World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Fluff. And ending... that's not been beta'ed. I lost two beta readers on these fics and the final chapters ended up without, sadly.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa or xxxHolic, nor do I make any claim to. Nor can I claim the lyrics from the song "Any Other World" by Mika. Just borrowing it, since it goes so well with the fic.

_Because it's all in the hands of a bitter, bitter man_  
 _Say good-bye to the world you thought you lived in._    
  


Syaoran knew that the fall would kill him. Without his magic - no, even with it- he could do nothing to slow his own decent. He prayed to the power of the feather as he fell through the clouds, but his hold on his consciousness was slipping. If he couldn’t...

What Syaoran hit came much sooner than he expected. And it was much more... bouncy? Sitting up, Syaoran realized he hadn’t been hurt at all by the fall. A happy chirp turned his attention to the face of his rescuer.

The flying giant fish was by far one of the last things he had been expecting, but he wasn’t one to judge on appearances. “Ah, thank you very much for saving me,” he said quickly with a bow. It chirped back what Syaoran assumed was fish talk for “you’re welcome.” Then it began a slow spiral downward, letting Syaoran see the rest of this world’s beauty. A mountain floating in the sky, an erupting volcano and a bright blue ocean all shined in the distance with unparalleled beauty. Along with the vast forest that he and the others had found themselves in which stretched almost endlessly into the distance.

He also saw another small village far off, not unlike the Amazons’, but it faded from view the closer they got to the ground. Had that been the village of men? Syaoran wasn’t given much chance to think on it, however. Soon, everyone’s worried faces came into view.

“Syaoran!” Mokona chirped, jumping from the newly arrived princess’ hands. “You killed it?”

As proof, he held up the feather for everyone to see. “This is what had caused the Wyvern to gain the power to disrupt the lands.”

He slid off the giant fish and presented the feather to Sakura. She didn’t accept it. Instead, she turned to the small white ball of fluff. “Moko-chan, please give this feather to Yuuko-san. She knows what it’s for.”

“But, Sakura...” It said sadly. Seeing the determined look in her gaze, it swallowed the feather in one swift movement. Syaoran looked away, his help shunned. Sakura didn’t want to accept feathers from him after all.

“Where did this big fish come from?” Hikaru asked excitedly as she ran up to hug it. “It’s so cute!”

“Hikaru-chan! It may not be safe!” Umi yelled after her scolding. But the giant fish simply chirped happily in the tiny girl’s embrace.

“It’s quite friendly, I assure you.” The speaker had a light tenor voice that surprised Syaoran. The voice carried authority. He turned to see a tall, slender man with longish, light purple hair held back with a jeweled circlet. In his hand was an ornate staff. But it was his kind blue eyes that kept Syaoran’s gaze. “I am called Mage Clef, of the village of men down the river. Swordsman Ferio and I had come to help fight the beast.”

“But, how did you know? Even if a messenger had left just after the first attack, they’d just be getting to the village right now,” Hikaru asked wearily. She stopped hugging the fish as her hand fell to the hilt of her sword. Umi did the same as they both regarded Cleft carefully.

The answer came from behind them. “The Princess there called us. She had some magic that worked even with the wyvern’s seal. She said we needed to be here, so we got here as fast as we could and hoped the amazons wouldn’t be too mad.” The green haired man from earlier said. He had his giant sword behind his back, much like how Kurogane stood sometimes. Fuu stood behind him, blushing softly. “Good thing we got here in time too. Though he wasn’t much good while the monster was alive, Clef’s magic is what saved this crazy kid.”

Ferio grinned at Syaoran, indicating the final statement was towards him. He smiled back weakly. The pain was catching up to him now that the fight was over.

In a quick movement, Clef whacked Ferio and called the fish back into the jewel on his staff. Syaoran stole a glance at Sakura, realizing that the feather had probably been the price to contact the men and make sure they got here on time. She must have known about his fall from a vision. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that, especially not with someone so much like his Sakura. Still, a feather seemed like a pretty step price for just a message. Had there been something else?

“Thank you, Clef-san,” he said softly, wincing as he tried to stand.

Fuu came up to him, taking his bleeding hands into her pale ones. “Syaoran-san, please let us take care of your wounds.” He nodded, trying not to think of the pain. Fuu closed her eyes and a soft cooling wind rose.

His eyes widened as the cuts where the wind touched were healed. Within seconds, Syaoran was completely healed. He stood up, this time without pain and bowed to Fuu politely. “Thank you, Fuu-san.”

“It’s us who should be thanking you!” Hikaru hugged him from behind unexpectedly. “Now the Wyvern is dead and we don’t have to live apart from the men anymore. The thousand years of being separate is over! Thank you, everyone!” Clef and Ferio looked surprised at this admission. Sakura must have called them before the price had been named. Ferio glanced over to Fuu for conformation and she smiled in response.

“I wonder why the Wyvern tipped the balance so much that the men and women had to be separated...” Umi asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Syaoran surprised her with an answer. “When I was inside the wyvern’s head, I saw that it’s eggs had been stolen for a wedding feast. It got angry whenever it saw men and women together because of that. I think that when it got hold of the feather, the only way to keep it’s anger sealed was to stay apart.”

“Yes... That would make sense.” Umi looked with careful consideration at Fuu and Ferio. Her gaze made the two of them blush deeply. “But I suppose that’s no longer a problem...”

Kurogane and Fai stood off to the side with the princess and Mokona. “Syaoran!” Mokona jumped down from a very annoyed ninja’s head. “It’s time to leave!”

“But you should all stay for the feast!” Umi had her hands on her hips with Ascot looking crestfallen behind her. “I was going to make something really great for the princess and everyone!”

Fai smiled politely as Syaoran moved over to the rest of the group. “We’ll have to take a rain check on that.” Kurogane did look a little disappointed at the lack of food, but didn’t add anything to the conversation.

Sakura stepped forward and gripped Hikaru’s hand in friendship. “Seeing you here has given me strength and courage. I hope that some day...” The princess shook her head, releasing herself from whatever curious emotion held her. “Some day, we can meet again.”

“Yeah! Then we’ll have that feast! Just you wait!” Hikaru smiled once again and hugged Sakura before the princess went to join the rest of her travelling companions.

Syaoran took one last look at the Amazons and the men from the distant village. Under the leafy shade, Fuu stood in Ferio’s embrace while Umi and Hikaru stood off to the side with Clef. Ascot ran up, just as Mokona’s magic started to work. “Syaoran-san! I’m going to move forward now! So I hope... I hope you find what you’re looking for too!”

He felt a real smile come to his lips. Even though it was still awkward being an actual part of the group now, he was glad that he wasn’t on the outside. He waved as Mokona swallowed them up and lead them to the next world.

_Infinity begins with just a single step._

~Fin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote of chapter:
> 
> "It's easier not to want forgiveness or to expect it. We just keep trying to fix the mistake so we don't have to ask. But you end up trying so hard to atone for one set of mistakes that you over compensate and make new ones. And then you can never break out of the cycle. You just keep going around and around. No way out and no where to go."  
> -Captain Gideon, Crusade


End file.
